92 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



with fresh material from the latter area, and 

 sprinkle gas-lime on that containing cocoons. 



Rose Tortrix (Lozotcenia Rosana). — This 

 little moth varies from 7 to 10 lines across the 

 expanded wings, which are of a brownish-gray, 

 much netted with a darker hue, and having a 

 very distinct patch at the base. The cater- 

 pillars are dark olive-green, with white spots, 

 and a brown head. They are but too plentiful 

 everywhere, and feed upon almost every tree 

 and shrub, but are most troublesome to gardeners 

 when they roll up the leaves of Roses, especially 

 those of the unfolding buds from which flowers 

 are expected, but which are crippled beyond 

 remedy if left to take care of themselves. The 

 caterpillars may be found in May and June. 



Remedies. — Every good and enthusiastic culti- 

 vator knows that he must lose many valuable 

 blooms unless he unrolls the cylinders of leaves 

 and destroys the caterpillars found therein. 

 This is a tedious process, but must be accom- 

 plished in the case at least of valuable Roses. 

 The caterpillars are very lively, and let them- 

 selves down with a thread on the least suspicion 

 of danger; squeezing the packet of leaves be- 

 tween the finger and thumb before separating 

 them would crush the caterpillar and prevent 

 its escape. On a large scale, and with less 

 valuable Roses, spraying with Paris-green or an 

 infusion of white hellebore, as in the case of the 

 leaf-rolling Rose Sawflies, would save an im- 

 mense amount of labour, and destroy consider- 

 able numbers of the enemy. 



Scale Insects. — Several of the most in- 

 jurious of this family have already been de- 

 scribed under the names of Mealy-bug, Peach 

 Scale, Pear Oyster Scale, and others. The life- 

 histories of all are similar, and as the generic 

 and specific differences depend upon minute 

 structural details, it will suffice here to men- 

 tion a number of common ones injurious to 

 the leaves of various plants. The male is a 

 minute, two-winged fly, seldom seen, and not 

 injurious, because he has no mouth. The females 

 and their larvae alone are destructive. Orange 

 Scale (Lecaniuui hesperidum) weakens Orange 

 trees and renders the foliage black and filthy 

 if allowed to get established. Camellia Scale 

 (Aspidiotus Camellia) injures Camellias in a 

 similar way. Another insect that lives on the 

 same class of plants, as well as upon the leaves 

 of Orchids, is Pulvinaria cameUkola, a small scale 

 with a long, white waxen tube behind it, beneath 

 which it deposits its eggs, reminding one of the 

 Vine Scale described under Bark Enemies. 

 Brown Palm Scale (Aspidiotus palmarum) in- 



fests Palms and Cycads. Brown Scale of Ferns 

 (Aspidiotus filicum) is also very injurious to that 

 class of plants, often adapting itself in shape to 

 the slender stipes of the fronds. All of the 

 above are true scale insects. Dactylopius de- 

 structor, the Mealy-bug of the Orange, and D. 

 longifilis, a Mealy-bug infesting Ferns, belong to 

 the same family, and may be placed in the same 

 category as the above. White Palm Scale 

 (Cerataphis Latanice) is one of the aphides, and 

 infests Palms and sometimes tropical Orchids. 

 A brown scale infesting many stove plants is 

 Lecanium hibemaculorum. 



Remedies. — For Oranges, Camellias, Palms, 

 Cycads, and Orchids infested with their respec- 

 tive scales, no remedy is more effective than 

 sponging them with a strong solution of soft 

 soap or Gishurst compound. Dissolve either 

 ! of these substances in hot water, preferably 

 j rain-water, and use it while yet warm, as it 

 loosens and removes all filth as well as scales. 

 A dilution of fir-tree oil may be used if pre- 

 | ferred. If the trees are numerous they may be 

 syringed with a soap solution at the rate of J lb. 

 to a gallon of water. Kerosene emulsion is a 

 good remedy; to make it, boil J lb of soap 

 in a gallon of water, pour the boiling mixture 

 into 2 gallons of kerosene, and stir it violently 

 with a force-pump for five minutes. When cool, 

 add 9 gallons of cold water to each gallon of 

 the emulsion, and use it in the form of a spray. 

 This may be repeated at intervals of several 

 days at any time, but is valuable in killing the 

 larv?e in spring and early summer. The emulsion 

 should not be applied to Orchids. Ferns should 

 be sponged or cleansed with a brush when it is 

 possible to do so, but when the fronds are deli- 

 cate, remove and burn the old ones after a new set 

 has been produced, but before the larvse of the 

 scales have time to get upon the young growths. 

 Pine-apple plants may be treated in the same 

 way as Palms, but attention should mostly be 

 paid to cleansing the suckers when taken off to 

 be rooted; keep them in a house by themselves 

 till the old plants have fruited and are thrown 

 away. 



Silver Y Moth (Plusia gamma). — The fore- 

 wings of this common moth are gray, with a 

 violet gloss upon them, and clouded with a 

 darker hue. They measure 1 J inch to nearly If 

 inch in expanse, and are furnished, near the 

 middle, with a silvery mark like a y, by which 

 it may readily be distinguished or identified. 

 The caterpillars are green, with a bluish-green 

 line along the back, some white lines on either 

 side of this, and a yellowish line lower down on 



